


Trapped

by TriggerHappyChocobo



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blood, Gen, Injury, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 21:32:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15203927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriggerHappyChocobo/pseuds/TriggerHappyChocobo
Summary: Noctis gets his ankle caught in a hunter's trap. That's it, that's all that happens. It's just whump without plot.For Noct Whump Week week day 7 - "Hold him down"





	Trapped

**Author's Note:**

> Here, take my short and highly self indulgent contribution to the last day of whump week~

Noctis was cruelly snapped back to lucidity when a white hot agony radiated through his entire body, based at his lower left leg. He tried to pull away from the pain, but something metallic and clunky held him by the ankle, stunting his movements.

“Gladio, please hold him still!” said a strongly accented voice, full of haste. It was a familiar voice that Noctis couldn’t quite identify. “He may well sever his foot if he keeps this up.”

Sever his foot? That sounded... Bad, to say the least. He pushed himself into as much of a sitting position as he could manage, sparing a glance down to the source of his suffering. The rusty, metal jaws of an animal trap were stuck deep into his lower leg, and blood was flowing freely around it, coating his skin and staining the bottom of his trousers.

' _Oh_.’ Was all Noctis thought, a little too blasé since his thoughts were still foggy. He knitted his brows, trying to recall what had happened. They were traversing through the forest, all four in high spirits as they decided what to spend the reward money from a successful voretooth hunt on. Then suddenly, there was pain, sharp, intense pain, and Noctis was crashing to his knees. That’s all he could remember before he blacked out.

As his last few memories slotted into place, he frantically reached down for the trap, gripping the iron maws with all his fleeting strength and trying to pry them apart. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that it was a fruitless effort – traps like this couldn’t be so easily opened, after all. But it didn’t stop him trying.

“Let go, you’re gonna make it worse.” Gladio told him, pulling his hands away and holding them down. Strong arms wrapped around Noctis' chest, keeping him tightly restrained against their owner’s muscular torso.

“You’re okay, Noct.” he soothed, “Just sit tight, we’ll get you out of there.” But despite his reassurances, Noctis could feel Gladio's panicked, irregular heartbeat pulsing at a similar pace to his own.

There was no time to dwell on that though, as the pressure on his leg began to build up once more. He winced, taking a sharp breath and gritting his teeth as the wound was jostled.The voice from earlier uttered a remorseful apology, and Noctis could now identify it as Ignis. He was moving Noctis’ leg into a more accessible position, giving him enough space to crouch beside it and keep his feet on the spring release. 

“On the count of three.” Ignis said, face set in grim determination. It pained him to know what he was about to put his charge through, but he also knew it had the be done.

“One.”

Gladio tightened his hold on Noctis and braced himself for what was about to come.

“Two.”

Prompto cocked his gun, standing alert and ready in case any wildlife came to investigate the commotion.

“Three!”

The reaction was awful – Noctis thrashed and writhed, throwing himself against Gladio as he choked out a shrill, antagonised scream. He clawed at Gladio's arms, trying to make him let go, wanting nothing more than to curl up as tightly as possible.

“S-Stop it!” he rasped, “it hurts, stop it!'

The spiked teeth of the inhumane device pulled and caught on tender flesh, causing fresh blood to bubble and mix with the deeper crimson of older blood.

“Almost there.” Ignis said, for his own sake as well as Noctis'. And it was true; only the tips remained embedded in his leg, just a little further and he’d be able to –

A sudden low growl made everybody flinch, and Prompto aimed in the direction of the noise, praying that another voretooth wasn’t on its way. But it soon became evident that a second animal attack was the least of their problems – the most pressing concern was the fact that Ignis, who had been startled by the unexpected threat of danger, was rapidly losing his grip.

It felt as though time moved in slow motion; they all knew what was about to happen, and there was nothing they could do. Ignis still attempted to stop it, but the slick blood coating his hands acted as a lubricant and he couldn’t retain his hold.

Two rather distinctive sounds simultaneously filled the air; the first, the tell-tale _snap_ of the device locking back into place, and the second was a truly sickening _crunch_ as sharp metal made contact with bone.

It was a strange kind of sensation, being in quite so much pain. Noctis felt spacy, his mind trying desperately to escape from reality as every nerve in his body went into overdrive. The pain wasn’t just localized, it was everywhere; it consumed him like a fire, so intense that he could barely even register what was happening. Unconsciousness beckoned him, promising nothing but sweet relief, and he wanted so badly to succumb to it. But he couldn’t, because fresh agony assailed him whenever he felt himself begin to slip away.

His stomach lurched, and he pulled away of Gladio's grasp just in time. Violent shivers wracked his body as he vomited up the entire contents of his stomach, and Gladio had to catch him lest he fall face-first into the putrid substance.

Guilt slammed into Ignis harder than an enraged behemoth, and he apologized yet again, because it was all he could do at that moment. Later, when Noctis was safe, he would be sure to atone for his blunder in the way Ignis always said sorry – by cooking favourite meals and being extra diligent in his duties. But for now, he had to try again, and this time he would definitely get Noctis free. 

“Shall we attempt this once more?” Ignis asked, wiping his bloodied hands on his jacket. Everyone nodded in affirmation – everyone except Noctis, who was too far gone to respond at this point. His eyes had glossed over and his skin was paper-pale; the blood loss was reaching a concerning level, which spurred Ignis on with renewed urgency.

He didn’t bother counting down this time, and was met with very little resistance on Noct's part, asides from the occasional whimper or twitch. The trap was stiff, difficult to remove; it was almost as though it didn’t want to let it’s captive free. But Ignis was prepared this time, and did everything in his power to keep it from closing again. After an agonizingly slow few seconds, Noctis’ leg was finally clear, and Ignis tossed the contraption aside and held his hand out to Prompto.

“An Elixir, please. Quickly!”

Prompto pulled an Elixir from the armiger and handed it to Ignis, who promptly cracked the bottle over Noctis' injuries. The relief was instantaneous, and the sharp switch from torment to solace left Noctis reeling with dizziness. Nausea hit him once more, and he screwed his eyes shut, determined not to throw up yet again. At least it had pulled him back to his senses though, and he could feel the strength rapidly returning to his body.

As the urge to throw up begun to pass, he gingerly cracked an eye open, and was greeted by the worried faces of his companions looking down on him.

“Dude, are you okay?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah.” He croaked, barely more than a whisper, voice strained and throat raw. He flexed his leg experimentally. “How-“ he was cut off as a sharp twinge hit him.

“Easy now, I should imagine this injury will take quite some time to fully recover from.” Ignis said, gently running his fingers along the smooth scars where the wounds once were. “Let’s head back to the Regalia, I believe Noctis has earned a stay in the hotel tonight.”

“No argument’s from me.” Noctis muttered, as Gladio carefully hoisted him to his feet. He draped Noctis' arm over his shoulder, taking most of his weight as he limped back to the car.

For once, nobody teased him when he fell asleep before they reached their destination.


End file.
